The horror movie genre loves to keep the audience on their toes, which makes it a great place to find some wild twists. Some of the best horror movies of all time have earned their reputations by shocking the audience with some truly unexpected reveals and plot points. These are not jump scares that take the audience by surprise, but brilliant story developments that leave the audience speechless.

A lot of big movie surprises tend to be seen as classic twist endings in movies. However, there are a number of horror movies that have delivered shocking moments earlier on in the movie, further throwing the audience off guard. From the classics of the genre to some of the best modern horror movies to come out recently, these brilliant horror movie twists stand out more than the moments of terror.

10

It’s A Prequel

Final Destination 5 (2011)

Final Destination: Bloodlines has earned some of the best reviews in the Final Destination franchise, but there are many fans who feel the movie will never top the reveal of the fifth movie’s final scene. Final Destination 5 plays out very much like the other movies in the franchise, as Sam (Nicholas D’Agosto) has a vision of a horrific accident and cheats Death only for him and the other survivors to be targeted.

The movie introduces new rules in Death’s design, seemingly giving Sam and his girlfriend, Molly (Emma Bell), a loophole to escape Death for good. However, as the couple gets on a plane to enjoy a getaway to Paris, it is revealed that they are on the plane from the first Final Destination movie and are killed in the accident. The movie brilliantly hides the fact that it is a prequel, tying the franchise back to its beginning in a clever way that nobody saw coming.

9

The Inspector Is The Sacrifice

The Wicker Man (1973)

While the notorious 2006 remake of The Wicker Man starring Nicolas Cage does technically have the same twist, it is better to stick with the far superior original 1973 version. Edward Woodward stars as Howie, a Scotland Yard detective who travels to a remote island community where a young girl has been reported missing. As with many horror movies about cults, the island community and its unusual religion are appropriately creepy.

The movie maintains a slow-burn approach, with the audience growing more and more certain that this child was sacrificed as part of the cult ceremony. It is eventually revealed that the girl is fine and the whole thing was a ruse to lure Howie to the island so he could be their sacrifice. It makes for one of the most unsettling horror movie endings as the entire community gleefully celebrates burning this man alive.

8

The Real Threat Is In The Basement

Barbarian (2022)

Sometimes, a great horror movie twist can shock the audience simply by going against the expectations of the story. Barbarian is one such movie that takes bold swings with its storytelling and quickly makes it clear that this is an unpredictable ride. The movie begins with a young woman named Tess (Georgina Campbell) discovering that the Airbnb she rented is already occupied by Keith (Bill Skarsgård). The movie builds incredible tension from this scenario alone, making it seem like this is going to be a thriller set in the world of modern property rentals.

However, it turns out that Bill is not the threat of the movie as he and Tess discover a crawl space underneath the house with a shocking discovery that takes the movie in a completely new direction. It is a very confident filmmaker to create such a slow-burn story, introduce a startling new element, and suddenly switch to a new character’s story, but it makes Barbarian a fresh horror movie.

7

Rose Is A Villain

Get Out (2017)

Jordan Peele’s Get Out has been hailed as the best horror movie of the 21st century, and there are a lot of elements that contribute to that. While the movie is thought-provoking in its themes of racism, it is also just a clever horror movie script with some terrific reveals. However, none of them land with more of an impact than the revelation that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) was tricked by his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), and she was in on her family’s plan the whole time.

What is brilliant about this twist is that the audience should have expected it, but the movie makes them hope it’s not true. It is a testament to Williams’ performance that she is able to play such a seemingly sympathetic and caring partner for much of the movie, only to effortlessly switch to a chilling villain.

6

The Visions Are Real

Frailty (2000)

Frailty is a vastly underrated movie with its terrific twist ending further making it a movie worth seeking out. The movie stars Matthew McConaughey as a man giving his account of his childhood in which he and his brother were drawn into his father’s calling as a self-proclaimed hand of God. Their father claimed he saw visions of demons disguised as humans and began capturing these people to execute them as part of God’s plan.

The movie seems like it is a grim thriller about two young boys subjected to their father’s violent mental collapse. However, the ending reveals that not only are their father’s visions real, but McConaughey is revealed to be the son carrying on his father’s mission with help from a higher power. It is one of the great twists that confirms the seemingly grounded story is something supernatural.

5

No One Killed David

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2019)

Bodies Bodies Bodies is a very clever horror movie that also leans into comedy quite a bit and to great effect. The movie follows a group of spoiled and self-centered young people partying in a mansion during a storm. However, when one of their friends, David (Pete Davidson), is found with his throat slashed, they become consumed with mistrust as they are each killed off one by one.

The movie feels like an Agatha Christie mystery as everyone in the mansion is a suspect. However, the ending is made all the more brilliant as the survivors realize that David actually killed himself in a TikTok video gone wrong. The reveal of the truth is so brilliant because it makes the audience realize that all the subsequent deaths were just the result of the paranoia, misunderstandings, and accidents that came as a result of David’s death rather than some secret killer lurking amongst them.

4

The Body In The Room Isn’t ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

Saw (2004)

While the Saw franchise grew into a complicated timeline of events, it all started with a rather small and contained thriller about two men trapped in a basement. Saw focuses on Lawrence (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell), who wake up in a disgusting basement with a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ body on the floor. They soon discover that they are prisoners of the serial killer Jigsaw, who puts them through a series of tests to force them to fight for their lives.

After killing the man they think is Jigsaw, Adam discovers that the man is actually being forced to play his own game. That reveal is given even more thrill when the body in the middle of the floor suddenly gets up, revealing that it was John Kramer (Tobin Bell), the real Jigsaw, this whole time. It is not only a shocking twist to end the first movie, but also serves as an epic introduction for Kramer as a modern horror movie icon.

3

There Are Two Killers

Scream (1996)

Scream is a brilliant dissection of the slasher movie genre, exposing many of the well-known tropes in clever ways. However, even with this approach, the first movie manages to deliver a shocking twist on the typical slasher villain reveal that no one saw coming. After Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) learns that her boyfriend, Billy (Skeet Ulrich), is Ghostface, her friend Stu (Matthew Lillard) reveals he is also the masked killer.

It seems like such an obvious idea, and one that has been used many times since, including in the Scream franchise. However, it was such a novel idea that went against all expectations for slasher movies. The movie confidently used two killers to throw the audience off one suspect, only to give this very simple explanation that makes perfect sense.

2

Malcolm Is A Ghost

The Sixth Sense (1999)

The ending of The Sixth Sense is such a famous twist that there are plenty of people who are well aware of the big reveal, even though they never saw the actual movie. The reveal that Bruce Willis’ Malcolm has been one of the ghosts that young Cole (Haley Joel Osment) has been communicating with is one of the most shocking moments in movie history and one of those twists that makes you want to immediately rewatch the whole movie to see all the clues.

Indeed, The Sixth Sense holds up very well, even knowing the twist, as it is a gripping modern ghost story. However, there is a lot of fun in seeing all the small hints M. Night Shyamalan left along the way. It is also a twist so good that everyone goes into the latest Shyamalan movie expecting the next mind-blowing ending.

1

Marion Crane Is Killed In The First Act

Psycho (1960)

Psycho is one of the most influential movies when it comes to horror movie twists. While the reveal that Norman Bates’ mother was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ the whole time and that he was the real killer is a great twist itself, the real surprise came much earlier in the movie. Psycho begins with Janet Leigh playing Marion Crane, a woman on the run from some trouble who stops in at Norman’s roadside motel as its only guest.

The shower scene that marks the death of Marion is rightfully iconic for its filmmaking alone, but part of the reason it is so shocking is that it kills off the apparent lead character in the first act of the story. The bold move went on to inspire countless other horror movies, including Scream and even Barbarian. Alfred Hitchcock was so confident in the shock of the twist that he made a special request that no one be given entry to the movie once it had begun.